Sheet material article and method of making the same



Aug. 22, 1933, LM 1,923,881

SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME 'Filed Nov. 11,1930 3 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 22, 1933. H, PALAIS I 1,923,881

SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov. 11, 19503 Sheets-Sheet 2 H. PALAIS Aug. 22, 1933.

SHEET MATERIAL ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Ngv. 11, 19303 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 22, 1933 'SHEE'I I ATERIAL PARTICLEMETHOD 7 OF MAKUNG THE SAME' Harry Palais,

litoxbury, Mass.

7 Application November 11, 1930 Serial No. 494,884

2' Claims.

This invention relates to sheet material articles and more particularlyto such articles as are made of sheet material possessed of considerablestifiness, as multi-ply cardboard, the articles be ingin the form ofreceptacles or the like, and it has for an object to produce astructurewhich does not require any fasteners aside from portions of thesheet material pieces which form the sev eral wallmembers of thearticles- To this end the pieces are provided with interlockingportions, those of certain pieces being held in position by othersthereafter assembled and with a final piece which prevents disengagementof those previously assembled and which is formed to cooperate withother parts to resist its own removal. These interlocking portions maycomprise tongues some of which may be in the form of hooks engaging withother hooks or in slots of the neighboring pieces. 1

For a more complete understanding of this invention reference may be hadto the accompanying drawings in which w Figure 1 shows in perspectivecooperating parts for one structure embodying the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 are plan views partly in section showing successivesteps in assembly of the parts shown in Figure 1.

Figure l is a side elevation to a smaller scale of the completedarticle. v

' Figure 5 is a perspective showing the parts for another article partlyassembled.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of the finished article made from the partsshown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an inverted plan of the same showing the manner ofassembling the final piece.

Figure 8 is a perspective of the parts for makinga still differentarticle.

Figure 9 is a side elevation of the same article showing the assembly ofthe final piece.

Figure 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Figure'9.

Referring to the constructionshown in Figures 1 to 4, at 1 is indicateda base member having forwardly extending hooks 2 projecting from itsopposite edges. Cooperating with these hooks are opposite side members 3which as shown are provided with slots 4 through whichthe hooks 2 may bepassed, as shown in Figure 2, after'which the base member 1 may bemovedforwardly rela tive to the side members 3 so that the forward 'ends 5'ofthe hooks 2 extend over the outer faces of the side members 3 about theforward end edges of the slots and prevent detachment of the sidemembersfrom the base. member. At 8 is showna rear end wall member, whichis'shown as provided. with a pair of slots 9 extending upwardly from itslower edge. The rear edges of the side members 3 are provided with slots10 which form upwardly extending hooks 11. After the side members havebeen assembled with the base i, as shown in Figure 3, the rear wallmember sis then driven into position with the walls of ti eslots 9engaging the inner and outer faces of the side members 3 beneath theslots 10 and the hooks 11 engaging the rear face of the back wall member8 asshown in Figure 4. When in this position the portion 12 of the rearwall member between the slots 9 extends across the rear edge 13 of thebase member '1 and acts as a barrier to prevent the base member frombeing pushed rearwardly so as to permit the wall members 3 to be freedfrom the hooks 2-to permit disassembly. The slots'9 of the rear wallmember and the slots is of the side members are formed of such awidththat it is necessary to drive or force the rear wall member into itsassembled position, the rear wall member and the side members thus beingheld against disassembly by frictional engagement. As shown thisreceptacle thus formed represents the body of a two-wheeled toy cart,the forward portion of the base member 1 having a slot 15 therethroughwith which may be engaged a toy figure 1'6 represented as pulling thecart. A material which is highly suitable for making thisarticlecomprises a laminated structure of sheets of cardboard gluedtogether. Such a structure is sufficiently strong and stiff to lenditself to this method of interengagement by interlocking of the variousparts, and whileit is relatively stiff it can be deformed somewhat ifnecessary without danger of splitting or causing other damage thereto.Some bending or other deformation of the material may be required in theassembly of certains form of the invention,

as will later be described.

Referring now to Figures 5 and '7, another article is shown in which thefinal piece to be assembled, which maybe termed the key piece, is notheld in assembled position by friction merely, but is formed tointerengage with other previously assembled parts of the structure.Referring to these figures, at 20 is shown a base member provided withoutwardly projecting tongue portions 21 at its side edges." Its forwardend is shown as slottedas at 22 to receive a portion of a Wheeled figuretoy 23. This figure 23 is shown as provided with a notch 24 which may beinterengaged with the notch 22 at the forward end of the base member 20,whichrepresents a tongue portion of a cart, and, the figure 23 isprovided with a rear extension 25 representing a driver for the forwardanimal figure portion, this extension resting on the upper face of thebase member 20 and having at its rear end an upwardly extending hook 26.A forward end wall member 27 is centrally notched at 28 for engagementwith the rear hooked end of the portion 25 and at its opposite ends hasupwardly'extended hook portions 29. At 30 are shown opposite'sidemembers each having at its rear edge downwardly turned hook portions 31and at its forward end a singly downwardly turned hook portion 32. Thehooked portions'3l are spaced by what may be termed an open slot 33, theupper portion of the slot forming the rear portion of the upper hook 31.It might be a closed slot, as shown at 4 in the construction shown inFigures 1 to 4, but greater facility for engaging and disengaging theparts is provided where the slots open out to the edges of the pieces asshown'at 33 and in some cases this is necessary for assembly. A rear endwall member 35 is also provided which has a pair of upwardly extendinghooks 36 at each of its side edges. The lower of these hooks 36 at eachside is separated from the upper of the hooks by the open slot 37. Thehooks 36 of the rear wall member 35 are interengaged with the hooks 31at the rear ends of the side members 30 and the hook 32 at the forwardend of each side member is interengaged with one of the hooks 28 of thefront end wall member 27. The side wall members are then sprung apartsufiiciently to permit the tongues 21 of the base member to be sprunginto the slots 38 in the side members. In this assembled position of theparts the rear end of the base portion 20 extends beneath the end wallmember 35, forming a barrier to prevent movernent of this memberdownwardly relative to the side members which would be necessary todisengage the hooks 36 of the rear wall member from the side members.Likewise the base member 20 extends beneath the front end wall member 27preventing this member from being moved downwardly relatively to theside members to disengage its hooks 28 from the hooks 22 of the sidemembers, and this engagement of the hooks 28 with the hooks 22 likewiseprevents upward movement of the front wall member 2'7 to disengage itfrom the hooked rear extremity of the figure portion 25. Likewise theengagement of the hook 26 with the front wall member 27 holds'the figureelement 23 against disassembly from the forward slotted tongue portion21 of the base member 20. Thus the parts are all interengaged with'eachother in such a manner that disassembly is impossible without bendingthe side members sufficiently to first disengage the tongues 21 fromthese side members, and the material is of suificient stiffness so thatthis is not liable to occur accidentally. As shown the side members 30are provided with opposed perforations 40 beneath the slots 38 for thereception of an axle 41 provided with a pair of wheels Still anotherembodiment of this invention is shown in Figures 8 to 10. Referring tothese figures, a pair of opposite side members 50 are shown as providedwith upper and lower upwardly projecting hooks 51 and 52 extending fromits side edges. The end members 53 are shown as provided with downwardlyprojecting upper and lower hooked members 54 and 55 extending from theirside edges. These hooked portions on the side and end members are theninterengaged in the completed article, as previously described, and abase member 56, formed to fit within the side and end members, isprovided with tongues 57 and 58 which extend through slots 59 and 60 inthe members 50 and 53. As shown the tongue 58 is somewhat shorter thanthe tongues 57 and it is preferably so made in order that the tongues 57may extend well into or through the slots 59 for security of fasteningand yet facilitate the assembly of the parts by forming the tongue 58relatively short.

The assembly of the parts is illustrated in Figures 9 and 1G. The wallmembers 53 are assembled with one of the side members 50 and the basemember 56 is then placed in position with its tongues 57 engaging in theslots 59. ,The free edges of the members 53 opposite to the member 50with which they are engaged are then brought toward each other to engagethese members against the side edges of the base member 56. The otherside member 50 is then inserted in position, first as shown dotted inFigure 9 with the upper. hook members 51 engaging back of the hookmembers 54 of the members 53 and the lower edge of this member 50beneath the hook members 55. movement of the lower end of the member 50this member may be brought up to its final position, the tongue 58engaging on its inner face causing it to be bowed outwardly, as shown inFigure 10, until it is pushed upwardly sufficiently for the tongue 58 tospring into the slot 60, whereupon the resiliency of the material'causesit to flatten and assume its final assembled position. This side member50 may be termed the By an upward and inward key piece for thisconstruction. It preventsdis- I.

assembly of the base from the end members 53 by preventing the latterfrom being moved away from the edges of the base member sufficiently tofree the tongues 57, and the base member 56 with the tongue portions 57and 58 acts asabarrier to prevent relative disengaging movements of themembers 53 from the side members'50. Likewise, each of the wall members50 and 53 acts as a barrier against movement of the base member 56 indirections to disengage it from the wall out the necessity of anyseparate fastening elements and by merely interlocking or interfittingengagement with other neighboring pieces. This is particularly desirablewith structures in the nature of toys or the like which must be sold ata low price as it greatly facilitates and cheapens the assembly thereof.Since the various parts may be cut readily withdies and then assembledto the desired thickness, the formation of the interlocking elementsadds an inconsequential amount to the cost of producing the variousparts.

From the foregoing description of certain em.- bodiments of thisinvention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications might be made without departing from thespirit or scope of this invention 2. A device of the class describedcomprising side, end and base wall members, said side and end membershaving oppositely extending interengaging hooks at their edges, saidbase member fitting between said side and end members and having tonguesprojecting into mating slots in said side and end members therebypreventing relative disengaging motions between said side and endmembers without deformation of certain of said members.

HARRY PALAIS.

